(ferricyanide), Potassium hexacyanoferrate(II) trihydrate (ferrocyanide),
potassium chloride, phosphate buffer saline tablets, sulfuric acid,
sodium hydroxide, N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS), N-(3-(dimethylamino)propyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide
hydrochloride (EDC), Ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA, recognizing galactose, caution: handle
with special care because it is a biological toxin), fetuin
(FET, contains 8.7% of sialic acid), and asialofetuin (ASF, contains
≤0.5% of sialic acid) were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (U.S.). Sambucus nigra agglutinin type I (SNA, recognizing
sialic acid) lectin from Sambucus nigra was purchased from EYLabs (U.S.). Ethanol for UV/vis spectroscopy
(ultrapure) was purchased from Slavus (Slovakia). Biotinylated lectins
and a carbo-free blocking solution were purchased from Vector Laboratories
(U.S.). CF555-streptavidin fluorescent label was purchased from Biotium
(U.S.). All solutions were filtered prior to use (using 0.2 μm
sterile filters) and prepared in ultrapure distilled water (DW). The
synthesis of the carboxybetaine thiol (CB) together with its spectral
analysis is provided in the